Championship Course Update - February

Feb 02, 2018

Well, it has been a frustrating time for golfers over the last month or so, heavy rain and some more snow throughout January meant the course has only been open intermittently during this time.

The decisions behind these closures are determined each morning by Gavin, the greenstaff and myself and every effort is made to open the course when possible. It is important to remember what long term damage can be done to the course under these conditions and maintaining the long term playability of the course is our main objective.

Throughout this time the greenstaff have been busy implementing our winter work schedule, which is on plan and will be completed for the start of the season, this work has included work to the 16th tee, which has had the turf lifted and is being levelled.

The turf from the tee is being reused to cover the old unused paths on the 13th and 15th and a new path has been put in, which is hoped will relieve some of the wear around this large tee complex. Further path work has been done on the 2nd, 9th, 17th and 18th. We have also returfed some worn areas around the edges of bunkers on the 6th and 14th holes.

The team have also removed worn turf from the 1st tee area which will be replaced. Whilst this work is going on we will look to improve drainage on the back of this tee.

Work which we have planned for the coming weeks includes the removal of bunkers on the 3rd and 7th holes which struggle with water retention as well as softening the ridge on the 18th green. We will be rotavoting bunkers and continuing with ditch work. Gavin will also slit some of the wetter fairways to help with drainage.

The Agronomist that we engaged with during the end of the summer made his second visit in early January. His report has come back to us and his feedback on the course concluded ‘the tine holes in the soil profile show the benefit of aeriation and this should continue as often as possible’ and ‘The greens were largely free of fusarium patch disease, unlike the situation last winter’. Overall he was very pleased with the condition and presentation of the courses for the time of the year with the greens especially in good health. We look forward to welcoming Robert back for his next visit in April.

We have moved Maintenance week forward to week commencing 5th February. This work will encompass pencil tining of all greens. Top dressing will also be carried out depending on weather conditions. Leaving the holes open for a period of time will allow air into the rootzone and help water to move through the inner surface more quickly

During late January we held interviews and have appointed a new greenkeeper who will start on Monday 5th February. It is felt that with 27 holes, an additional Greenkeeper joining the team will bolster Gavin’s team and enable us to do more work which in turn will help us to enhance the overall playing condition on both courses moving forward.

We have also made additions to the clubs we hold reciprocal playing rights with for the 2018 season. Maxstoke Park in Warwickshire and Lingdale GC in Lecistershire have been added to Ruddington GC for the upcoming season, and we have made the tough decision to end our relationship with Forest Hill GC. Hopefully you will be able to make a visit to one of these great clubs this year.

We also have exciting news on a new addition to the Professional staff at the Academy. Jon Watts has joined the coaching team from Drayton Park and will initially be around 3 days a week from February before moving to full time for the start of the season.

Jon comes with a wealth of experience and has a passion for coaching players of all abilities to reach their potential by using state of the art technology and up to date training to stay on top of all coaching methods.

For more information on Jon, Steve and Paul’s availability please contact the Academy as this is a great time to start working on your game ready for the season!

We will be sending out the main renewal letters in early February, so please keep an eye out for those and if you have any queries about your membership or any questions for the year ahead please get in touch.

I have included some dates for your diaries, so hopefully I will see you at some or all of the events below!